Mission: Save Catholic Schools (4638)

The Catholic School Development Program has a plan for helping parochial schools thrive.

Like many Catholics, Bob Healey was disturbed by the steady rate of Catholic school closures. Healey, however, was in a position to do something about it. Co-founder, with his brother Bill, of the Viking Yacht Co., Healey has devoted a significant part of his fortune to helping children get a good education. His latest mission: to save Catholic education.

Healey’s philanthropic endeavors have included building schools and providing food and aid for poor regions in Mexico and Sierra Leone, creating programs to train at-risk youth in equestrian care and boat building and repair, and funding numerous other projects to help youth get a good start in the world. In 1998, Healy founded the International Education Foundation to send children from low- and middle-income families to Catholic schools and universities.

That was when he began to run into his biggest problem: the collapse of Catholic education in the United States. “My Catholic education made a deep impression on me and made me who I am today,” Healey said. “As time went on and as Catholic schools were being closed, I cringed every time I saw it.” What good, he wondered, was tuition aid to Catholic schools if there were no Catholic schools to attend?

His solution was to found the Catholic School Development Program to help Catholic schools save themselves. Founded as a 501(c) nonprofit, and fully funded by Healey’s foundation, the Catholic School Development Program is, in the words of the executive director, Christine Healey (Bob’s daughter), “in the business of growing and sustaining Catholic education.” And they just may have found the formula that can reverse the trend of closing parochial schools.

New Challenges, New Solutions

While the International Education Foundation was founded as a grant-making organization, the Catholic School Development Program was created to offer services and operational support that would address, and reverse, the collapse of Catholic school education.

“There’s a failed business model in Catholic school education,” Christine Healey observed, “and they have to adjust to today’s market. The schools have to make a value proposition to families: Why is it worth writing that check for a Catholic education? Catholic schools offer an opportunity to have a child in a smaller-school environment where they will be taught Catholic values and achieve academic excellence. That value proposition is the same wherever we go.”

The challenges facing Catholic education are by now familiar. For years, the schools could draw on a large pool of free labor from nuns and other religious. Labor accounts for 80% of the total cost of running a school. With the decline in vocations, that free labor vanished, and the cost of providing a Catholic education skyrocketed. At the same time, Mass attendance declined, and with it the ability of a parish to adequately finance a school also declined.

Enrollment fell along with Mass attendance, as fewer committed Catholics meant fewer families opting for a religiously based education. Education became another consumer choice in the minds of the parents, and Catholic schools were not making the case that they provided good value for the money.

“The consumer needs to know what they’re getting,” Christine Healey said. “They’re different than they were in my parents’ generation when it comes to education. Catholic schools just need help telling the good news about what they offer.”

The solution is to make a few structural changes to allow Catholic schools run more like private schools. The techniques for increasing enrollment and raising money are standard in private schools and colleges, but are completely alien to most parochial schools, particularly grade schools. The goal is to keep tuition stable, improve the value proposition, and make every Catholic school self-sustaining.

Bold Proposition

The CSDP made a trial run with Camden Catholic High School in New Jersey, and that’s when they learned an interesting fact: 95% of Catholic high-school students came from Catholic elementary schools. In order to save the high schools, and even the colleges, you have to save the elementary schools.

They made a bold proposition to Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio (now of Brooklyn, N.Y.), when he was bishop of Camden: CSDP would manage all of the schools in the diocese. Over the previous four years, Camden had closed one-third of its schools and half its parishes, and more were on the chopping block. Of the 21 remaining schools, five are located in poverty-blighted Camden, which is routinely listed among the top five most dangerous places in America. The bishop had nothing to lose.

“It was the bishop’s position that there was a real opportunity to improve the business model in Catholic schools,” said Gregory Geruson, who left a position as vice president of fundraising and alumni relations at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia to become director of CSDP. “To do that, we take the best practices that we see in the high school, independent school and private-school marketplace. We focus on the mission of the school, and then use that to brand and market the school in order to improve, first, enrollment, which is the financial backbone of the school, and second, fundraising, because that enhances whatever money the tuition provides for the school. The goal was to put the school in a position to focus on its Catholic identity and academic excellence so they could not only sustain themselves, but succeed.”

Christine Healey refers to this approach as “ending the candy-bar culture,” in which schools raised money by selling candy bars. Instead, they run a major annual appeal and identify potential major donors. The result thus far has been an average of $150,000 raised per school.

The other two innovations were equally important. First, each school would get an advancement director, employed by the school and dedicated to improving enrollment by actively seeking students, contacting parents and, in essence, “selling” the school.

Second, each school would get a “board of limited jurisdiction,” comprised of 15 to 20 members, with the pastor having only a single vote. This proved more controversial, since pastors routinely have the final say over every aspect of a school’s operation. The structure was put into place to make sure that a pastor couldn’t block arbitrarily an initiative favored by the board and school community. All matters of faith remain in the hands of the pastor, and he is given a means to appeal any decision of the board. Thus, if a pastor finds himself at odds with the board, the issue goes straight to the bishop for remediation.

CSDP’s role in all this is to put the structures in place and act as advisers while the program is built, which takes about three to four years. Once this is done, CSDP pulls out, and the school continues functioning with the new structures in place.

Guardian Angels

The results have thus far been a success. Not only is fundraising up across all schools, but enrollment is rising as well. At Guardian Angels Regional School in Gibbstown, N.J. (grades Pre-K through third), and neighboring Paulsboro, N.J. (grades four through eight), the schools are thriving, and enrollment is nearing capacity.

Sister Jerilyn Einstein, a member of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Infant Jesus, has been principal of the schools since they opened in 2001, and she can see the effects firsthand. “Since we were a growing school,” she said, “there were things we needed to focus on, and it was so much work to raise just $3,000 or $4,000. CSDP gives us a lot of leadership and a lot of good advice.”

The presence of an advancement director, Marcie Voigt, allows Sister Jerilyn to focus on running the school rather than on raising money or finding new students. Asked if CSDP’s emphasis on marketing the school was difficult to accept, she admits that she’s “slowly seeing the need for it. Does it kind of give me an unsettled feeling? It does. For me to run a school, I would just open the doors and say, ‘Come on in,’ but it wouldn’t be successful financially. I see that it’s needed, but there has to be a balance between the two. Now that I don’t have to deal with the money aspect of it, I can still do my part of making it a welcoming community.”

Part of that success comes from providing a faith-based education. “We are a mission of St. Clare Parish,” Sister Jerilyn said, “which means we are included with a lot of the parish activities. We teach religion. Our children attend Mass together at least twice a month. We pray in the morning, at snack, at lunch time, before going home and before each class in the upper grades. Every day during Advent, we gather to light the wreath and pray. There is a strong Catholic identity. That’s what the families want, and we’re very proud of it.”

CSDP offers Sister Jerilyn a chance for her school to grow and compete in a tough academic marketplace. Catholic schools used to never have to search for students: They were right there in the parish. Since that’s no longer the case, CSDP is trying to equip the schools to function in the 21st century. “Parents are making a buying decision,” said Geruson. “They’re making a decision to pay money to send their children to Guardian Angels, and they have to be able to see the value and benefit. And now they can. There are many very good Catholic schools that are failing because they’re just not doing things to bring in new students.”

Camden Bishop Joseph Galante is pleased with the results, praising CSDP for helping the diocese create “an enrollment-management process that has led to enrollment stability and, in some cases, enrollment growth in many of our schools. They’ve also helped our schools implement annual fund programs, helping schools increase giving and broaden their donor base. Our collaborative relationship with CSDP has helped us implement our new board structure through day-long board trainings and evening continuing-education workshops. I am most grateful for their contribution to Catholic school education.”

For Bob Healey, saving these schools is crucial for both the Church and society. “There’s a spiritual culture that is developed and ingrained in these children in a Catholic school as they grow up,” said Healey. “That spiritual culture is an important component of our lives. If you don’t have it — if you don’t have that understanding that there’s a right and a wrong, and there’s a God in heaven who you’re responsible to — you’re lost.”

Thomas L. McDonald is a catechist for the Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey.

Comments

I realize that this is a very late comment to this article. I just think it is interesting that Bishop Galante is quoted “...pleased with the results, praising CSDP for helping the diocese create “an enrollment-management process that has led to enrollment stability and, in some cases, enrollment growth in many of our schools. They’ve also helped our schools implement annual fund programs, helping schools increase giving and broaden their donor base.” Yet, in just the last week (January 2012), the Bishop’s office gave notice to the ONLY Catholic high school in Cumberland County that it would be closing its doors in May this year. I am not aware that the Bishop and his subordinates made any effort to introduce the leadership of Sacred Heart High School in Vineland to CSDP. I think it would have been helpful.

Posted by John Keane on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2011 9:59 PM (EST):

There are many questions about how to keep Catholic schools alive. With that there are many theories. That being said there is one important area that many have not mentioned. We as Catholics have been accused of deny many of our children or younger relatives from joining Religious life. If we as Catholics are pushing them into different areas, our problems are deeper than just keeping the schools alive. We as Catholics need to assist in encouraging the young men and women to share with God’s flock the gift that they have been given. With an increase in Religious many will serve Priests to celebrate the Mass and brothers and sisters to educate the young Catholics and open the doors to great and celebrated education. We can raise all the money we can year after and that is part of the answer. Like the Polar Bear Plunge run the last 7 years by The Ancient Order of Hibernians in Monmouth County N.J.. (http://aohplunge.blogspot.com/ This issues need to be attacked by all angles. The Holy men and women need to be part of the solution.

Posted by Eric on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2011 12:46 PM (EST):

Mr. McDonald,

The quotes from Sr. Jerilyn mean nothing without more context. They teach religion…great! Is it orthodox or watered down? They attend Mass twice a month…great! Why not every week? They pray alot…great! Are they solid or fluffy, surface level prayers? Are the teachers active, practicing Catholics who believe in the teachings of the Church and see themselves as role models in the faith to their students? Does the school teach and practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy?

Ultimately, a school should constantly be asking itself “Are we a Catholic school according to the mind of the Church?” Only if they adhere to that standard is there a strong Catholic identity.

Posted by Chris Cassleman on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2011 12:02 PM (EST):

Our Catholic HS has reestablished very strong Catholic ID - enrollment still declining - its a business problem and its a spiritual problem - of our 5,000 alums majority don’t support us - because half have left the church - Half of alums moved away due to declining economy of the city over 50 years - Generation X/Y grads don’t go to church - They learn that one in college - Families are smaller - Bigger Families are homeschooling - Parish Priests don’t promote for fear of offending their majority public school going flocks - Its a bigger problem than just bad management although that’s big part of it. Don’t know what the answer is. I just know I’ll keep fighting for it. Because every day at our school - we are doing what Gospel tells us ” Let the Children come to Me”. Day by day. In a hundred different ways, great and small. Simple as that. Maybe we’ll go down but we’ll go down swinging.

Posted by Dan on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2011 11:26 AM (EST):

What is the mission of the Church? To spread the Gosple. Please don’t take this the wrong way but The Catholic Church spends millions and millions of dollars each year helping everyone from the poor to the pregnant but keeps a Catholic School education so expensive that most people can’t afford it, especially faithful Catholics who don’t use birth control and have a large family. Now I don’t advocate not helping the poor etc., but something needs to be done about the Catholic education of our children or the Church in America will not be around in 100 years. The overwhelming majority of Catholic children only get their Catholic education from CCD. And as a CCD teacher I can tell you, it’s a joke. They don’t learn a thing. They are only there to fool around.

Posted by Catholic on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2011 9:00 AM (EST):

Yes the schools are hard for families to afford, and teacher pay is horrible. Add to that the patronizing attitude the Diocese of Brooklyn has toward its teachers: all the good ones are jumping ship to work in public schools. The DOB should be accommodating such teachers rather than incommoding them. Sadly, their mindset is “you’re lucky to have a job”, while the teachers response is “you’re lucky you have dedicated professionals working for a pittance”.

Posted by Camille on Monday, Dec 5, 2011 7:53 PM (EST):

@Thomas L. McDonald While this school may have a Catholic culture being promoted (and we need as many promoting a truly Catholic identity as possible!!), I truly find this is not the case across the board. Even in the above example, going to Mass twice monthly is hardly impressive. If there are protestant kids in that school or atheist ones (as there were in my school growing up) then hearing the word of God and being exposed to the real presence of the Eucharist as often as possible should be of the utmost importance. The “business” of the Church is the saving of souls. Period. The purpose of educating the next generation is not so they can score a certain number on standardized tests or get into a certain college, but to give them the information they need to gain entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Posted by Jeremy on Monday, Dec 5, 2011 7:10 PM (EST):

This topic gets my blood boiling. I have been told that tithing schools are breaking the law now because of some change, and that the tithe is not deductible if you recieve an education in exchange. This I believe is bunk and an excuse to not do the hard work of engaging the school families in a personal heart to heart about how they commit financially to the school/parish. My parish school claims they will find the money for those that “need” it, and that no parishioner wouldn’t be turned away. But in practice no one is paying the full cost to educate at the school, but only the “needy” have to beg for assistance. injustice? I think so. It drives me crazy. The system seems to be trying to keep large catholic families out of the schools, and by catholic I mean those that know and actually practice the faith in every aspect. Yeah make them more like private schools, . . . they already are. :(

Posted by Thomas L. McDonald on Monday, Dec 5, 2011 7:07 PM (EST):

As the story makes clear, an “authentically Catholic” identity is a already a major part of these schools:

“We are a mission of St. Clare Parish,” Sister Jerilyn said, “which means we are included with a lot of the parish activities. We teach religion. Our children attend Mass together at least twice a month. We pray in the morning, at snack, at lunch time, before going home and before each class in the upper grades. Every day during Advent, we gather to light the wreath and pray. There is a strong Catholic identity. That’s what the families want, and we’re very proud of it.”

This is one of the most pressing issues of our Catholic culture. It is extremely difficult for a family with multiple kids to afford Catholic schools, the teacher pay is horrible, and these both need reversed.

Posted by Nancy Murray on Monday, Dec 5, 2011 5:56 PM (EST):

I agree with Camille (above comment). The problem is that the schools are afraid to be too Catholic. Stand by your Catholic identity, don’t become more like any other private school. Hire teachers that are authentic, practicing Catholics. Pray for nuns to be called back to the teaching ministries, but to have that happen, the schools have to show the children what is unique about a Catholic religious vocation. Too many religious orders have become more like social workers than brides of Christ. Who would give up all to be a social worker? The children to fill these schools are still in the parishes. Do more to link the religious ed programs, the homeschoolers, and the students in the school, they have common ground of all wanting to learn their faith. My son is now in college at a Quaker university and they REQUIRE all students to attend prayer services twice a week and take a Bible and Christian history course. But Catholic schools from elementary all the way to university seem to have become so accomodating that the Catholic identity has been lost. I have often thought that if the Bishops’ CCHD collection were to be made available first to struggling Catholic schools, it would help a lot more poor people than to continue what CCHD is currently doing with our donations: giving grants to groups that often do not abide by Catholic moral teachings.

Posted by Camille on Monday, Dec 5, 2011 5:16 PM (EST):

What about making these schools more authentically Catholic as their point of difference? My husband and I both attended Catholic schools through 12th grade but neither of us had ever cracked open a bible or a catechism in the classroom. The school was run more like a private school that put Catholicism under a bushel and the others in the diocese (Buffalo, NY) were much the same way. That is why, though we are devout Catholics, we would not consider Catholic schools for our children. It seems that if you truly want an education that is proudly and completely Catholic, you have to do it yourself or be lucky enough to live near schools like the Regina Academies which are privately owned and focus entirely on an Orthodox Catholic classical curriculum.

Posted by Merlin on Monday, Dec 5, 2011 3:44 PM (EST):

Better save those Catholic Schools because the Protestants will want to continue sending their kids there.

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